No Escape
by Shin Sankai
Summary: Misao returns to the one she loves after being absent from him and their life together for over a year to try and explain where she went and why. AU - Modern Times.


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No Escape

By Shin Sankai

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

"Did you know a new tea shrine opened up last week?" A woman in her late 20's voiced to the man she was walking beside as they strolled down a sunset residential street just outside of Tokyo City.

"No…" Came the deep but very bland and what almost seemed uninterested reply.

"You really should get out more Aoshi." The woman sighed in exasperation as she glanced up at Shinomori Aoshi, confirmed hermit, aged 26 and a doctor in psychology.

"I go out when I want to Megumi." Aoshi voiced sternly to the long-haired woman beside him. Her hair was tied back in a plait and her make up was natural looking besides the red lipstick on her lips. She was casually strolling beside him, aimlessly looking ahead instead of up at his aloof self.

"You mean you go out when you finally stop mopping bout your little girlfriend for two minutes a day."

"She was my fiance." Aoshi remarked back, eyes narrowing at Megumi's flippant comment, but the subject would have to be dropped as the two of them stopped in front of his gate to his two-storey apartment.

"Well here we are. I have once again, done my duty as the older sister and walked you home on your birthday."

"You aren't coming up for tea?"

"Oh no, I think I've had all the tea I can handle…and besides, Sano is waiting for me at home."

"You were the one that bought me the years supply of tea last year, so I highly doubt that is my fault." Megumi laughed, as it was true. She never knew what to get her younger brother because he was quite secretive and didn't care much for birthdays. So when she finally got 'just get me some tea' out of him, her brain ticked over to not just buy his normal tea, but flavours from all over the world for him to try which would of course last more then one year. "And how is it that I now have special treatment over your husband?" Aoshi followed up with as they continued to stand outside his apartment fence.

"Oh, you know me, only on special occasions like your birthday." Megumi smiled up at him before bringing up her hand to place behind Aoshi's neck. He bent down as he felt lips against his cheek. "Try to have a happy birthday Aoshi. Oh, and my presents already in your house."

"Megumi…"

"Don't worry Aoshi, its not tea. This gift, is _far_ more important then any tea." Aoshi watched Megumi walk off, her coat snugly around her, as winter was here to stay for at least another month yet.

Opening up the front door of his apartment, Aoshi stepped inside to remove his trench cot and shoes and entered his dark open planned kitchen, living and lounge room. Though it was dark inside Aoshi knew where his kettle was and flicked it on, deciding he would have a cup of peppermint tea before getting an early nights sleep. As the kettle boiled the water Aoshi moved into his lounge area and flipped on the lamp situated between his chair and lounge.

"I knew you were crazy about tea, but all that in your spare room is a little bit much isn't it?" Aoshi's eyes darted to the left, where the spare room was situated and found a very familiar person standing there.

"Misao…" He couldn't help but murmur her name.

"Happy birthday Aoshi-sama." Misao whispered back, her eyes finally being able to look upon this very surprised Aoshi.

"What are you doing here?" Aoshi questioned Misao. His voice was laced with ice, something he never used when they were together, but now…now was different.

"I came to see you." Misao voiced quietly as she moved closer to Aoshi still standing in his lounge room.

"Why would you come back? You left over a year ago, with no word or warning, so why would you return now?" Misao flinched at his demanding questions, knowing Aoshi had every right to be angry with her.

"I know I left without warning…" Misao muttered, mainly to herself.

"What do you want?"

"C-Can we sit down and talk?"

"I'd rather stand." Aoshi curtly replied back.

"Oh, well Aoshi-sama I…" The kettle began to whistle and Aoshi turned away from Misao and flicked off the switch. Once he moved back into the lounge room he found Misao just standing there, gazing quietly up at him as he was dressed in black trousers and light blue button down shirt.

"You cut your hair." Aoshi finally noticed a small detail about Misao. In truth, nothing much had changed about her. She was still short and petite, but the blue-black locks of hair he used to drag his fingers through had been chopped off and dyed a blackish-purple colouring. Her now quite shorter hair only just fell past her shoulders as she stood before him, wide blue eyes as expressive as always.

"Ah, I never really cut it…" Misao began as she brushed shorter strands behind her ears. A lump formed in her throat and all she could do was stare into Aoshi's icy green depths, looking him over to see whether he too had any differences about him…and then…she found one.

"You um, you grew your own hair out." Misao shakily voiced as she had noticed the simple white band holding Aoshi's now shoulder blade length hair together.

"I never go to a hair dresser…I used to have one living with me." Misao fidgeted on the spot at Aoshi's words. It was true, she'd been the hairdresser he was referring to and whenever she didn't like the rugged hair growing past his nape Misao would instantly sit Aoshi down and chop it off for him. Aoshi's apartment…had been her apartment. She'd moved quickly into his life, but it took longer to get into his heart and when Misao had, his life became her life. Everything was going as she had dreamed it would, one day she would marry this man that she loved so much and they would share everything together until…

"I'm sorry…" Misao squeaked out, eyes scrunching shut as she tried to hold in her tears while her shoulders shook lightly.

"Misao, what…"

"I'm sick!" She finally blurted out before Aoshi could say anymore. Her eyes finally peeled open, to glance over at Aoshi to find him still standing before her, but with his lips slightly parted and eyebrows scrunched together it meant…he wasn't following what she was saying at all. "The day I left, it had nothing to do with you Aoshi. You did nothing wrong. I left because…results from a hospital appointment I went came back not good."

"Hospital appointment?" Aoshi deeply repeated, not having the faintest idea what Misao was talking about, but just the word 'hospital' didn't sit well within his heart.

"Do you remember that entire week I fell ill and you told me to rest in bed and you'd take care of me?" Aoshi nodded his head affirmatively, remembering that week well. "When you left to buy groceries and grab me some headache tablets at the pharmacy, I knew something wasn't right so I rang Megumi and asked her to come around. She soon found something wrong with me."

"Megumi knew where you were all this time?"

"That's not important!" Misao snapped at Aoshi as her eyes glassed over. "She found…a lump…on my breast." Aoshi eyes grew wide at this news and finally he sat down in the chair facing the coffee table. "I had the scans here and it turned out…it was cancerous."

"Cancer…?" Aoshi repeated as he watched Misao sit down on his coffee table.

"When I found this out, I went back home, to Kyoto and my family surgeon removed the lump. After that I began the recovery stages and was having chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I never cut my hair Aoshi, I lost it."

"Stop…just stop…" Aoshi muttered, as he knew Misao sat in front of him but he stared at his feet. "I rang Okina every week, to see if you'd gone home and all this time you had been there and he lied to me. Even my own sister, my own flesh and blood lied to me."

"Do not hate them Aoshi. I asked them, made them promise me not to tell you."

"Why?"

"I never wanted you to see me like that."

"I WAS YOUR FIANCE!" Aoshi yelled as he stood from his chair once more. He had never yelled at Misao before, but being told all this news so suddenly he didn't know what to think of it all. When he looked down at Misao, seeing that her tears has spilled over and were running down her reddened cheeks Aoshi couldn't take it and dropped to his knees, his arms moving swiftly around Misao to encase her in an embrace. "I never meant to yell." Aoshi whispered as he listened to Misao sniffle against his shoulder.

"I wanted…I needed to see if I could get through this. Ever since we got together you protected me, cared for me, provided for me and I felt hopeless because of it. I thought if something happened, like if we broke up would I be able to cope on my own. So when the cancer was discovered that was my chance to find out just who Makimachi Misao really was and whether the pride, courage, strength and determination that you carried within yourself was within me as well."

"When a situation is that dire, you aren't meant to go through it alone."

"I was never alone. Jiya was beside me when I awoke from surgery and Omasu and Okon would always be waiting in my private room after I'd been through chemotherapy and radiotherapy."

"So what you are trying to tell me is that the only person you never wanted around…was me." Aoshi had pulled away from Misao and found her shaking her head profusely.

"You were always with me Aoshi. Every hour my thoughts were always about you so I would remind myself that I wasn't just fighting this disease for myself but fighting it for us."

"If there was an us, I would have been there." Misao's eyes pricked with tears once more.

"So…this means…there is no us anymore?"

"Being in a relationship means we are individually ourselves, but together we are one, bond by trust, understanding, companionship, love and everything else that forms us as a couple. You were my fiance Misao…and you left me out of the loop." A sob broke through Misao's lips at Aoshi' truthful words. This was one thing that always ticked her off about Aoshi, how right he was when it came to relationships. He had been in more then her, but it was also for the fact he was a doctor and a psychologist. Aoshi was an expert on relationships and emotions even if he didn't show many himself.

"What do you want me to say that'll make things go back to the way they were?" Misao sniffled once more; her hands brushing her cheeks dry of tears as she looked at Aoshi who had now moved to sit on his couch.

"It can never be 'as it were' again Misao." She bowed her had at his definite words, hands fisting in the material of her shirt, her knuckles turning white. She gasped when large warm hands cupped her face, rising it so she was now looking over at Aoshi once more.

"No more strength or courage tests. No more crazy ideas that you have to do anything by yourself. Partners for life Misao, I made that promise to you when I gave you your ring, now you promise me one thing."

"Wha-What…?" Misao breathlessly whispered out, her heart swelling as her biggest wish was coming true - Aoshi was forgiving her.

"No more…alright?" Misao thrust her arms around Aoshi, sobbing against him while her engagement ring glittered happily on her ring finger.

"I promise…" Misao voiced into Aoshi's ear and felt his arms move tightly around her.

They didn't know how long they hugged each other for, basking in past memories as they were once more reunited as one.

"Are you in remission?" Aoshi broke the silence as he questioned Misao.

"Yes, but it could come back."

"Are you still doing chemotherapy? Or is it just radiotherapy?"

"Its radiotherapy now."

"In Tokyo?"

"Yes, my doctor referred me to a great one at Tokyo Private Hospital."

"Who is it?

"Dr Megumi Sagara." Misao whispered as she pressed a kiss to Aoshi's neck, not being able to help it as she breathed in his musky scent.

"Aa…" Aoshi murmured back, tucking his head into the crook of Misao's neck. His heart thumbed heavily within his chest, still not believing that Misao was within his arms…and alive for that matter. Then Aoshi realised there was something he needed to see, to test Misao's courage once more.

"Take off your shirt."

"Wha-What?" She uttered back in surprise.

"Remove your shirt, I need to see it."

"N-No…it's awful." Misao by now had moved away from Aoshi, even though she was sitting in his lap, but her arms were securely over her chest.

"Isn't it my decision to decide on what I think of your scar?" Misao's eyes grew wide at Aoshi's words. "You left to find strength and courage within yourself and now as you sit in front of me, are you telling me it doesn't exist within you?" Aoshi calmly voiced to Misao.

"I…" Aoshi pressed his index finger to Misao's trembling lips before gliding his hand down her porcelain face, memorising the soft feel of her skin once more.

"Everything will be alright Misao." The truth of those words was written in Aoshi's eyes as he waited patiently for Misao to remove her black blouse. Aoshi observed as Misao shifted to stand before him, her hands starting at he bottom of her hip length top, but they began to shake as she reached the one between her breasts.

"Do not be afraid of what I'll think Misao." Aoshi murmured once more as he stood up to stand in front of his fiance and lightly pushed her fisted hands away from her chest. As Aoshi soothed Misao with kisses against her face, his fingers made light work of the last two buttons before slowly stepping away and pulling the shirt down Misao's slender shoulders to let it fall to the floorboards beneath them. A pale lavender padded bra was covering her breasts, but Aoshi's eyes could make out the start of Misao's scar. Stepping closer to look over her shoulder, Aoshi unclasped the bra and let it fall to the floor on top of her top.

Misao for her part had her eyes screwed shut while Aoshi removed the top half of her clothing and was now probably staring at her scarred body. Of course the first thing Aoshi took notice of was one breast was plumper and rounder then the other because on Misao's left breast, tissue had been removed and all that remained was a scar she would have to come to terms with for it was with her for life.

A shudder rushed through Misao's body as she felt Aoshi's index finger trace the scar against her flesh. It wasn't long before Misao's eyes darted open as she felt something else against her rough skin.

"A-Aoshi!" Misao blurted out as Aoshi was on his knees before her, but his lips were kissing the scar she thought he wouldn't ever want to see or even touch. She watched with wide glassy eyes as Aoshi murmured something against her skin, something she couldn't understand before he opened his eyes to stare up at her.

"Do not be ashamed of your scar Misao." Her lips parted at Aoshi's words, as she read everything within the emotional depths of his entrancing deep green orbs. "This scar is evidence that you Misao do not need to test your spirit to search for strength or courage because you've had it within you all along. You are much stronger then you give yourself credit for."

"Aoshi…I…"

"You have faced death and battled through it to win. The courage you sought for within yourself had been there all the time. You know this now and therefore all that awaits you is a life full of happiness with the one that wants you by their side…for always."

"I love you Aoshi!" Misao sobbingly confessed as she thrust her body into his and made him sit back down on the couch once more.

It wasn't long before Aoshi lay on the couch, Misao's smaller body pressed tightly to his as they curled on the leather material couch, arms around each other while Aoshi didn't for one moment let his eyes drift from Misao's. It was like they'd just woken up and gazing at each other like they were new lovers.

"Happy birthday Aoshi…" Misao whispered to him before dropping a light kiss against his lips before snuggling into his chest while Aoshi placed his chin atop her head.

"You _are_ the most important gift I've ever received Misao."

"Mm…" She mumbled sleepily against him. She'd travelled all the way here without sleep on the Bullet Train and for the past coupe of days when she was making up her mind that she was actually going to come see Aoshi, she hadn't slept a wink.

"I'll never allow you to escape Misao." Aoshi strongly voiced as he gazed over at the television cabinet where he knew a photo of Misao was sitting in a silver frame. "Aishiteru…" He whispered into the pale lighting of the lounge room before kissing Misao's locks of hair and closing his eyes.

Aoshi knew he was drifting into a new tomorrow with Misao once more and this time he was certain that their future would be stronger then he had thought it had been. This time he was ready to battle whatever lay ahead for the both of them and as long as they were together, their love and strengths mingling as one, there was nothing they wouldn't be able to face.

**Oo The End oO**

Authors Notes: Well, I knew where this came from, but it was sort of a pointless oneshot as well. Truthfully this hits very close to home and in fact my mum had cancer, but I was too young to understand anything about it, as all I remember is her being away for a long, long time. Anywho, for some reason I felt compelled to throw my two favourite characters into a situation like this and decided to see how a little oneshot would turn out with such a real aspect of what cancer can do.


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